Power-operated typewriting and like machines



April 13, 1954 H. c. YAEGER 2,675,109

POWER-OPERATED TYPEWRITING AND LIKE MACHINES Filed Nov. 15, 1951 INVENTO'R. HARRY C. VAEGER )7 H 2 WWW Patented Apr. 13, 1954 POWER-OPERATED TYPEWRITING AND LIKE*MACHINES"- Harltyfl; Yaeger, West-Hartford, Conn assignor totllnderwood Corporation, NewYork, N.[Y., a corporation of. Delaware Application-=Novemb'er15, 1951, Serial-No. 256,556

3Claimsn (Cl. 191-47 This invention relatesto typewritingoandilike--, machines having power-operated means foreaw;

tuatingthetyping and other;instrumentalitiesi;

An ,object of the invention: is; to: provide an improved power-actuated mechanism-of the kind wherein a drivenxmember; .01: actuatorreceives 1a poweristroke .by 1coaction awithsa, rotary driving, member, and the iextentmflsaid strokeis deter: minedby thei engagement of theaactuator with a throw-off ,devicepwhiche terminates; the power throw-off, device;

proved throw-off; device, for

power stroke;

adjustability of the knock-01f screws.

In I the drawing:

ated condition in dot-and-dash outline,

1o stroke, the improvement-being ,directed to proalrotating driving inemberais terminatedhy enviding a smooth, more'durabl and reliably open-v gagement and coaction, of the. driven memher ative coaction between-other, actuator, andthe or link with a throweoff device.v

' The usual type-bar 4, pivotedat 5,111 a seg-.

Another :1 object nresidesoin;providing an iron 15.: ment 6,- i operated iromiit' ina iv zpc t n t power-eactuated strikea platenfi. For clarityonlya singletypetype actions-anditheilike,which device presents bar and. its actuating mechanismis shown, it, a relativelys-broadcyiindrical surface-area for being understoodthatthetype, action shown is wiping. engagement of thertype'action; actuator typical of, all of. the type actions ingthe type.- therewithgwith, a minimum, of ;friction,, during, writer, as will loeclear, by reference to, the Yaeger which 1 the actuator, is thrownotifrom, its drive patent, connectionwith the rotating driving,- ,r o1l. 1, bar14 to a subr-lever ll, pivoted at 12 on the type-,

In its more specific aspect the,inventionzcom Writer. mainframe; cernsithrow-off; devicesroflthe adjustable kind H towandits inac position at whichlit, ,rests, presenting, a row of; screws each threadedly against atstop i I4 011 a tr svvie se b mounted toqafiordgendwiseadjustment thereofi g v ll hash-rounded po tion, Iii at which I toivarvth extent omduration of: theoactuatoris aTPO G -actuated le'ven, IT makes a rolling C0n- In suchthrow-ofi devices .1 their tact with theisub-lever. heads, or endsqofihe screwspresenta rounded, l8on.the,ba1: l an is, flex y connected at 19 or spherically. convex area for engagement by, to ,awdriving 1ink .or power. actuator 281. The the-actuator andqrtherefore, afford onlya point, actuator link 20 I.is.u ge upward y nd'ir r contact therewith, a. further object being to prowardly by a spring 2 I into its normal or inactive vide athrow-ofi device of this kind having eleposition. The upwa position of link 9 15 d6- ments servingqin conjunction with said :screws r yi eeee 055211118, e ele and which present a broadline. Contact fornthe h 22 'itsreerward i o is e sed by e actuators, without, in any way hampering the Shoulder 23, onle'ver l1len fi n thetransverse bar I5.

With the above and other objects in view, the asnatchpawiz4icapa of limited p flt ve invention will, now be described with reference mentfihereon,asideterminediby 1 1 onthe pa to the accompanyingidrawingwherein-one em- 40 engaging isof a,S10l 25"' -'l, atorlink. bodiment which the inventionmay assume in Bym n l described.theactuator 07 swung practice is shown for the purposes of illustration. downwardly about pivot l9 unt 't teeth of p w 24' become engaged by the teeth on aconstantly Figure 1 is a sectional view taken on a plane ot ti .tO h JDQ i h 1011 fore andaft of the typewriter embodying, the indrivenbll su ta ble ean u ie an electric vention, showing a. typical power-actuated type 1201? $0, revolve bhedirection of the arrowaction, in its quiescent condition and showing nd the dri ng i fluen Ofthe 51181116111011 aportion of theipower-actuating means operlfifithe pawl?! w s the J i fi f which swing the pawli'edge ZT'enga-gesandcoacts Figure;2,.is an; enlarged rear elevation of an \viththeanglejbar 22,110 ensure full" engagement end portion of theimproved throw-off. device of oflth'e pawl ,iiefi'fihn i hjl he teet of the snatch the poWer-actuatingmeans, certain of the parts '0 a dJbY a leverage 810111011, ves t e, actuator bein .ibrolzeni away to facilitate fillustratiom. and link 20 its, initial ,drivem Afteripawl 24, has re- Figuret is aisectional viewt-of-the throw -ofi tailed,.its,. u1l1.,extent, 1? co itinuedwidriviiigim device taken-yomline 3-3 Of LFigure Z.

The power-actuated type; actionsystem herein,

shown; except as to certainimprovementsin the throw-off device, conforms substantially to that described andclaimedsin the Yaeger patent, ,.No.. 2,254,764. It is;to beunderstood that the present.

invention is not confined, in itsap-plication to this particular,.,kind..of t pe action, system, it,

being ,intended that ,the, latter, .isLto. typify the various power. type actions ,whereinithe power ystrokeiof the driven. member or actuator link by A link.l0 operatively connects the, typ

A spring 1 I 3 urges subelever The The actuator link 25 pivotailly carries fluence. oi "snatch, roll" 25,;thereon, moves the Lever H is pivoted at actuator link 20 leftwardly, thus swinging lever leftward to actuate the sub-lever H from its inactive position. The power-actuation of link 20, as described, continues to a point where a cam face 28 thereon comes into engagement with a throw-off device generally indicated at 29. The cam face 28, sliding along the contact point or area of the throw-off device, causes the actuator link 20 to move in a path tangential to the periphery of snatch roll 26, and the link and its pawl 24 thus arrive at the position shown in dot-and-dash outline in Figure 1. At said position the camming action of link face 28 is causing the pawl teeth to ride out of the orbit of the snatch roll teeth and thus terminate the power-drive of actuator 20. After disengagement of pawl 24 from the snatch roll, spring 2| becomes effective to raise the actuator 2|! and restore same rearwardly to its inactive position, the pawl 24 meanwhile also resuming its inactive position on the actuator.

For initiating the operation of the power type action, a key lever 36 carrying a hook 3| is provided, the hook being adapted to engage overa lug 32 on the actuator link 25. Key lever 36 is pivoted at 33 and is urged by a spring 34 to its upper, inactive position. The hook 3| is mounted on key lever 36 by a pin-and-slot connection 35 and is urged by a spring 35 downwardly against the pin of said connection and forwardly about said pin. An ear 3? on hook 3| engages the rear edge of an upstanding member on key lever 30 to hold the hook upright and yet allow it to swing rearwardly.

On depressing the key lever" 3t the actuator link 20 will be drawn downwardly, the spring 36 being of adequate strength to overcome the force of spring 2|, and the operation of the power-actuating means will occur as above described. Although key lever 39 may be held down, only a single power stroke of the actuator link 20 will occur because the lug 32, moving rearwardly as its actuator link 29 is restored, will merely engage the upper, front face of hook 3| and cause same to yield rearwardly, thus permitting the actuator 28 to become fully restored free of the snatch roll. On release of the depressed key lever 30, hook 3| rising with the lever will latch itself over lug 32 and thus become re-engaged with the now restored actuator 28, in readiness for the next operation of the type action.

The throw-off device 29 comprises a bar 40 extending transversely of the typewriter below all of the actuators 20 and has a screw 4| for each actuator threaded therein. In power-operated typewriters of the general kind shown herein, the type bar is preferably driven only part way by power, the momentum of the type bar and connected parts completing the stroke. Adjustment of the screw 4| toward or away from the actuator will vary the extent or duration of the power stroke to thus adjust the force of impact of each type individually, as is well known in the art. For instance, by lowering the screw 4i from its position in Figure 1, the point at which the rear tooth of pawl 24 becomes disengaged from the snatch roll 26is also lowered and moved leftward, with. the result that the duration of the power stroke of the actuator 29 is increased, and the impact of the associated type will therefore be greater.v

Collective position-adjustment of all of the screws 4| to afford a universal type-impression control is provided in a manner shown and de- 4 scribed in said Yaeger patent, No. 2,254,764. At each of its ends the bar 40 is supported on an arm of a lever 43 fulcrumed at the pivot I2. A second arm of lever 43 projects forwardly and carries a roller with which a cam or eccentric 44 coacts, there being a cam for the lever 43 at each side of the typewriter. The two cams 44 are connected for rotation in unison by a shaft 45 on which a dial wheel 46 is secured. The weight of the bar 40, augmented by a spring 41 biasing each lever 43, urges the bar downward and presses the rollers on the two levers 43 against the cams. Rotation of the dial wheel 46 in appropriate direction will raise or lower the bar 40, as will be readily apparent, to effect a universal adjustment of all the power actions collectively.

The improvements in the throw-off device 29 of the invention will now be described. An elongate sheet metal strip 50, preferably having the cross-sectional shape shown. in Figure 3, is. attached to a rearward face of bar 40. The strip 50 is preferably made of leaf-spring stock such as Phosphor bronze or hardened steel, the bronze being more suitable because of its lesser frictional character in coaction with steel or iron material of which the actuator 2|! is usually made. Spacedscrews 5| threaded into the bar 45, secure the strip 50 thereto along a medial longitudinal area of the strip, the strip 50 being reinforced for stiffness at this medial area by a narrow bar 52. The rearward face of the bar 40 presents a longitudinal ridge 53 formed of upper and lower faces inclined from each other, to the lower one of which the strip 50 is fastened.

As above described, the screw 4| is threadedly adjusted to vary the power stroke of the actuator 20. To secure this adjustment the head of screw 4| has an integral collar 54, the periphery of which is straight-knurled or otherwise serrated to form a toothed band. The portion of the strip 55 below the medial area is slotted at alternately shallow and greater depths, as shown clearly in Figure 2, to form a row of forklike lugs 55, one for each screw 4!. The shorter slot which divides the lug into two tines is of a width to snugly receive one of the teeth of collar 54 therein in such manner as to hold the screw 4| against accidental turning and yet permit intended adjustment of the screw, during which the tines of lug 55 ratchet on the collar teeth 54.

The ridged formation of the rear wall of bar 40, with the strip 5|] secured only to the lower inclined face, affords an arrangement in which a substantial upper portion of the strip 50 extends from the to of the ridge clear of the upper face and is therefore free to flex independently of the bar 483. As shown in Figure 2 this upper portion of strip 50 is slotted at such intervals as to form a prong 51 or spring finger for each screw 4|. As shown in Figure 3 each prong 51 extends upwardly and forwardly and includes a curved end portion 58 presenting an outer cylindrical contour. Each prong 51 has an inherent tension which causes it to constantly bear against the upper rounded end of screw 4|, regardless of the adjusted position of the screw.

In throw-01f devices of known power-actuated type actions heretofore in use, the actuator link, such as'that at 2|], directly engaged the upper end of a throw-01f element such as screw 4| which, to assure a smooth surface for engagement by the actuator, was rounded or convex. Such surfaces, however, afforded only a point contact by the actuator and were therefore susceptible to abnormal wear. Further, when the actuator was disposed even slightly to either side of its normal location central with the screw, only an edge corner of the cam face 28 would engage the throw-off screw, thus causing undue friction and abnormal wear, and requiring frequent servicing. The provision of the strip 50, with the series of prongs which overlie the contact ends of the throw-off screws 4!, obviates these difll-culties by providing a substantially broad cylindrical contact face 58 with which the cam face 28 of the actuator engages. Considering the rapid and sharp impact by which the actuator coacts with the throw-oil device 29, it will be apparent that the provision of the smooth, broad curvilinear area for engagement by the actuator will assure uninterrupted performance of the mechanism over a substantial period. In this regard it may also be noted that the strip 50, being fabricated of formed sheet metal, lends itself readily to fabrication of an anti-frictional yet durable metal such as spring bronze, particularly in coaction with steel or iron parts. Further, the described association of the leaf-spring prong 57 with an endwise-adjustable member such as the screw 4| has the advantage of changing the line of contact, at which the actuator 26 engages the cylindrical face 58, incidental to a change in the adjusted position of said member or screw 4|. That is, as screw 4| is adjusted upward, for instance, a contact line nearer the end of prong 5'! will become efiective.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a power-operated typewriter having a series of actuators, a power roller for imparting a power stroke to the actuators, and a throw-01f device including an elongate .bar, a series of throw-off members supported transversely of said bar and having their corresponding ends -projecting therefrom for cooperation with the respective actuators to terminate the power stroke, said throw-off members being endwise adjustable on the supporting bar to vary the extent of the power stroke, a series of spring prongs each secured at one end to said bar and extending therefrom to project beyond and overlie the actuator-cooperative end of the corresponding said throw-01f member and tensioned to press against said end, the member-overlying end portion of each prong being curved so as to present an outer cylindrical contour for engagement by the actuator, the length of the curved portion being such as to afford a cylindrical contact area for the actuator for any adjusted position of the throw-01f member over the full range of its endwise adjustment.

2. In a power-operated typewriter having a series of actuators, a power roller for imparting a power stroke to the actuators, and a throw-off device engageable by the actuators to terminate the power stroke, said throw-off device comprising an elongate bar extending along the series of actuators, a row of throw-oil screws each threadedly mounted in said bar to afford endwise adjustment of said screws for varying the extent of the power stroke, said screws each extending from edge to edge of said bar, a side of said bar providing a lengthwise face inclined transversely to diverge from the axes of said screws, and an elongate sheet-metal strip coextensive with said bar and secured against the inclined side face thereof, said strip having transverse slots at intervals to form prongs, one for each of said screws, said prongs overhanging substantially from the edge of said inclined face and being directed to extend over and press against the corresponding ends of said screws to each present a broad area for engagement by the respective actuators.

3. In a power-operated typewriter having a series of actuators, a power roller for imparting a power stroke to the actuators, and a throw-oil device engageable by the actuators to terminate the power stroke, said throw-01f device comprising an elongate bar, a series of throw-off screws threadedly mounted in said bar to afford endwise adjustment of said screws for varying the extent of the power stroke, and an elongate sheet-metal strip secured to and coextensive with said bar and including a series of prongs projecting transversely of said strip to lie across one end of said screws and thus present a broad generally flat area for engagement by the respective actuators, said screws each having a toothed band adjacent the other end of each screw, said sheet-metal strip also including a series of spring lugs, one for each of said screws, and each bearing against the toothed band of the respective screws for detenting each screw in adjusted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,474,741 Kittel June 28, 1949 2,506,444 Dodge May 2, 1950 

